Clean-out for fruit treating machines



Sept. 15, 1936. H. |=-AxroNl CLEAN-OUT FOR FRUIT TREATING MACHINES Filed April 25, 1954 Mae/vif( Patented Sept. 15, 1936 HINES l Hale Paxton, Santa Ana, Calif., assigner to Paxton Credit Corporation, Santa. Ana, Calif., a corporation of California .Application April 25, 1934, serial No. 722,284

- s claims. p (ci. 19e- 127) My invention relates to machines employed by packing houses for treating fruits and vegetables in the preparation of these for market and more particularly to an improved type of clean-out mechanism to be used in combination with a fruit washing, drying, or polishing machine.

The type of fruitl treating machine my invention is particularly adapted to be used with embodies a plurality ci cylindrical elements slightly larger in diameter than the fruit to be treated,

these elements rotatably mounted on paraiiel, rixed ane lying in a given horizontal plane, thus cicsely spacing the elements so that e, series of troughs or channels are provided by the combined upper surface of these elements for supporting rows oi fruit while it is being washed, dried, polished or what not.

These eiements are all rotated in the same direction so that fruit resting in any oi said channels is continuoimly rotated. Fruit is fed into the by rolling it over the endrnost element the series away from which the upper surfaces ci the elements travel owing to their rotation. After the first channel is occupied by a row oi fruit, the nest fruit :fed to the machine engages the first occupants or the rst channel, causing them to jump over the second rotating element into the second channel.

Continued feeding oi fruit to the machine thus causes the stream ci fruit to be advanced in the same manner from channel to channel through the entire machine. When the stream of fruit ceases as the last of a given lot is fed to the machine, it becomes necessary to clean out the fruit resting in the channels of the machine.

in object of my invention is to provide a mechanism for automatically cleaning out the residual fruit in a, fruit treating machine.

Another object of my invention is the provision ci a clean-out Amechanism. which will be positive and thorough and yet gentlein operation so as f not to bruise or otherwise injure such perishable as appies, oranges, and the like.

y .il :irrther object o my invention is to provide "5 .a` cieanwout mechanism that will clean fruit out ci each trough in a fruit treating machine before additional fruit is discharged into said trough so as to prevent contact oi fruit in said troughs.

Other objects and advantages will be made manifest in the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal, vertical sectional view oi a preferred embodiment of my invention.

e@ rig. e is a diasratic plan view oi a power Fig. 2 is a veiticalsectonal view taken online transmitting apparatus employed in the apparatus shown in Fig. 3.

Referring speciilcally to the drawing, a fruit washing machine ill comprising a preferred embodiment of my invention is shown in Fig. 1,

this machine including a fruit washing unit li connected by suitable gearing 26 to each of thev brushes 2li as shown in Fig. 2.

The cleanout mechanism i2 includes a. plurality of rotatable pusher members 36, the latter being mounted vertically over the troughs El between the brushes 2t. Each of the pushers 3b are formed of rubber to provide va. row of equally spaced tines 3i formed integral with a. sleeve portion 32, the latter receiving a shaft 33 which is driven through suitable gearing 3Q by a drive shaft 35. As Shown in Fig. 1, each of the pushers 3d, starting at the inlet end of the tank i5, is set slightly in advance of the next pusher.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4, I have shown therein the washer iii in its relation to a corroplete fruit washing and drying apparatus dii, the latter ncludinga soaking tank lit, an elevator d2, the washer it, a water eliminator i3 and a drying unit dit.

The elevator, t2 has a power driven shaft it with bevel gears it and it' at its opposite ends as shown in Fig. fi. The washer lil is positioned to receive fruit from the elevator L52, the shaft 35 which drives the pusher members s@ of thewasher being geared to the bevel gear d@ of the elevator 52.

The water eliminator is is positioned to receive fruit from the washer i@ and includes a. pair oi spiral drums til geared to a common drive shaft di. A complete disclosure of the water eliminator i3 may be had by reference to the patent i to Byington, No. l,'783,'700. The drier t6 positloned adjacent the eliminator i3 is substantially similar to the washer It excepting that absorbent cylindrical drying elements 5t are used in place of the brushes it of the washer iii. Mounted in the unit is a clean-out mechanism 5t which is. ldenticai with the clean-out l2 of the washer lil. The pushersiiii oi the drier til are driven through suitable gearing 5l by a shaft 58, the latter being 'driven by the bevel gear lil of the elevator shaft it as shown in Fig. 4. Rotatably mounted in wells 59 below the elements 55 of the drier iii are blowers 60. The drums of the water eliminator i3 are also driven from the shaft Si@ as shown.

The brushes 20 of the washer IIJ and the drying cylinders 55 of lthe drier`44 are driven independently at constant rates of speed while .the elevator 42, clean-out mechanisms I2 and 56 of the washer I and drier 44 respectively, and the water eliminator 43 are interconnected so that any change in .speed of 'the elevator 42 will correspondingly change the rate of travel-of fruit through the units l0, 43, and 44. It is thus clear that the apparatus 40 can be easily slowed down for fruit that requires a longer soaking and washing period and speeded up when handling relatively clean fruit.

' I claim as my invention:

1. In combination: a series of substantially cylindrical parallel brushes disposed in a common plane; means for feeding fruit onto the upper surfaces of said brushes at one end of said series; means for receiving fruit from said` brushes at the opposite end of said series; means for rotating said brushes at a relatively high velocity in a given direction so that the upper .surfaces of said brushes turn away from said fruit feeding means and toward said fruit receivingA means; a series of rotary clean-out membersw each of which is rotatably mounted over a valley between a pair of adjacent brushes of said series;

each of said clean-out members having a hub portion and a blade portion extending in a single direction from said hub portion; means for rotating said clean-out members at a relatively slow uniform rate of speed in the opposite direction from that in which said brushes are rotating; the blade portions of'said clean-out members extending from said portions at angles which cause said blade portions to clean out fruit from their respective valleys so that with each clean-out operation by an individual clean-out member, the fruit disposed in the valley therebeneath is discharged from said valley for` wardly into the next succeeding valley after the f ruit has been cleaned out from said last mentioned valley by the clean-out member disposed thereover.

2. 1n combination: a series of substantially cylindrical' parallel brushes disposed in a common plane; means for feeding fruit onto the upper surfaces of said brushes at one end of said series; means for receiving fruit from said brushes at the opposite end of said series; means for rotating said brushes at a relatively high velocity in a given direction so that the upper surfaces of said brushes turn away from said fruit feeding means and toward said fruit receiving means; a series of rotary clean-out members, each offwhich is rotatably mounted over l a valley between two adjacent brushes offsaid; c Y m y y series, each of said clean-out members having a hub portion and a blade portion extending in a single direction from said hub portion; means for rotating said clean-out members at a relatively slow uniform rate of speed in the opposite direction fromthat in which said brushes are rotating, the blade portion of each cleanout member being slightly angularly 'advanced in the direction of its rotation as compared with the angular position of the clean-.out member immediately preceding it. v Y

3. In combination: a sexies of substantially cylindrical parallel brushes disposed in a common plane; means for feeding fruit onto the upper surfaces of said brushes at one end of said series; means for receiving fruit from said brushes at the opposite end of'said series; means 'for rotating said brushes at a relatively high velocity in a given direction so that the upper surfaces of said brushes turn away from said fruit feeding means and toward said fruit receiving means; a series of rotary clean-out members, each of which is rotatably mounted over a valley between two adjacent brushes of said series, each of said clean-out members having a hub portion and a blade portion extending in a single direction from said hub portion, said hub portion being spaced from the surfaces of said pair of brushes a distance equal to or greater than the radius of said brushes; and means for rotating said clean-out members at a relatively slow uniform rate of speed in the opposite direction from that in which said brushes are rotating, the blade portion oi' each clean-out member being slightly angularly vanced in the direction of its rotation as comp red with the angular position of the clean-out member immediately preceding it.

HALE PAXTON. 

